1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to an apparatus, a method, and a computer program product for forming images, and specifically relates to a colorizing technology in Page Description Language (PDL).
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-64022 discloses a color image transmission system in which image data are transmitted based on an output system supported by a plotter, such as a frame sequential system or a dot sequential system, when a data transmitting device transmits image data to the plotter (i.e., a printer engine). There are two types of color image transmission systems used in an image forming apparatus, namely, a frame sequential system (or also called a “component interleave system”) and a dot sequential system (block interleave system). In the frame sequential system (component interleave system), color components (i.e., “R, G, and B”) constituting an image (a frame) are transmitted per component in the frame. That is, a unit having one-dimensionally arranged signals of each color component (R, G, or B) is transmitted per frame. In the dot sequential system (block interleave system), signals of color components (R, G, and B) are transmitted per pixel. That is, a unit having one-dimensionally arranged signals of color components (R, G, and B) is transmitted per pixel.
Further, in the image forming apparatus, various image adjustments may be carried out on image data transmitted to a plotter based on print condition settings in order to achieve a high quality printing result a user desires. For example, in printing tagged image file format data (TIFF data), “brightness”, or “contrast” for the printing result may be adjusted. Moreover, image conversion such as enlargement or reduction in size of the image may also be adjusted.
However, there are the following drawbacks in color adjustments in the related art image forming apparatuses.
For example, there is an image forming apparatus that employs a dot sequential system for transmitting TIFF monochrome data to a plotter. In the dot sequential system, it is relatively easy to carry out image adjustments and image conversion on the image data or easy to handle the image data compared to the image adjustments and image conversion or the image handling in the frame sequential system and easier so that higher processing ability may be realized in the dot sequential system. However, if the TIFF color data are transmitted in a frame sequential manner in the above image forming apparatus having the dot sequential system, the image forming apparatus needs to have an extended function to carry out image adjustment-image conversion on the TIFF color data for adjusting colors of the image. That is, the image forming apparatus needs to have an image adjustment-image conversion function for colors (i.e., the extended function) in addition to an existing monochrome image adjustment-image conversion function.
If the image transmission system is not unified into in a color transmission system or a monochrome transmission system in the image forming apparatus, processing flows such as the image adjustment and image conversion or image rendering need to be further branched in each of the color and monochrome image transmission systems.
Unifying the image transmission system for color and monochrome data is cumbersome for developers and workload for such tasks on the developers even increases if the image forming apparatus has numerous models. Moreover, the extended function may result in increases in complication of maintenance and in development cost for manufacturers.
Thus, it is desirable that a monochrome image adjustment-image conversion function that carries out the dot sequential image data processing be made capable of carrying out the frame sequential image data processing on color image data in the image forming apparatus. That is, it is desirable that the monochrome image adjustment-conversion function be made compatible with color data transmitted in the frame sequential system to be provided as a shared function such that the monochrome image adjustment-conversion function is made compatible with color image frame sequential transmission, thereby being capable of carrying out monochrome and color image adjustment and conversion using the shared function.